Jason Bourne disses James Bond

Matt Damon yesterday used the London premiere of The Bourne Ultimatum to roundly dismiss James Bond as a Martini-sipping imperialist misogynist, the BBC reports.

Damon declared Bond "anachronistic when you put it in the world we live in today" and added insult to injury with: "Bond is an imperialist and a misogynist who kills people and laughs about it, and drinks Martinis and cracks jokes. Bourne is a serial monogamist whose girlfriend is dead and he does nothing but think about her."

Warming to the theme, Damon then concluded that Bourne "doesn't have the support of gadgets, and he feels guilty for what he's done".

Bourne trilogy director Paul Greengrass chipped in with: "The Bourne franchise is not about wearing Prada suits and looking at women coming out of the sea with bikinis on. It's about essence and truth, not frippery and surface."

Well, really. Readers are duly invited to discuss who they'd rather go on a long stag weekend with: James Bond or Jason Bourne - and who'd they'd rather have serving behind the bar: Julia Stiles or Eva Green. Over to you. ®